News

Recent ACA Grad. Still Earning Accolades

Aucilla Christian Academy’s 2018 recent honor graduate and softball standout Elizabeth Hightower, best known simply as “E” to her friends and fans, continues to receive awards on and off the field following graduation in May.

Last weekend, she represented the Big Bend on the North Team at the Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Game in Lakeland where she was recognized as the Most Valuable Player, helping the North Team bring home the championship for the first time since 2013. At the game, an FACA representative presented Hightower with an American flag for her nonprofit work founding Flags for Our Fallen (flagsforourfallen.org), which pairs U.S. flags that have served and need a proper retirement with deceased veterans. Since partnering with the American Legion, Hightower’s project has become a national initiative.

In addition to those honors, she was also chosen to play on the East Team at the 2018 Premier Girls Fastpitch High School All-American Game in California, which will be televised on Friday, July 27, 2018 on ESPNU at 7:30 p.m., just before she begins her college softball career at the University of Florida in August.

“It is Elizabeth’s love of the game, her love of the girls that play this game and her respect for the coaches of this game that should be credited with giving Elizabeth the opportunity to play in a game such as this,” said her father James Hightower. “Elizabeth has been given the honor of representing Aucilla Christian and the surrounding area not only because of the coaches and teams that she has played for, but also because of the coaches and teams that she has played against.”

Hightower wishes to recognize and thank all of the area coaches and softball players from the local area such as Lincoln, Chiles, Leon, Godby, Richards, Maclay, North Florida Christian, FAMU and Florida High.

“In one way or another, they have all had a positive impact on Elizabeth and have contributed to her good fortune on the softball field,” said her father. “I hope she will represent Aucilla Christian as well as all of the other softball programs in the Big Bend area well in all of her future endeavors.”

ACA could not be more proud of Elizabeth and the recognition she is receiving.

“She is a great young lady who has worked hard to overcome obstacles that could have derailed many athletes,” said Athletic Director Dan Nennstiel. “She gets most of her accolades in softball and rightfully so, but she was a major contributor for our volleyball and basketball teams too. The patriotic love and leadership that she demonstrates through Flags For Our Fallen is an example for many to follow. I appreciate the wonderful Godly young lady that ‘E’ has become, and I’m grateful to God for allowing me to be around her on a daily basis. She will be greatly missed, along with her fellow graduates of 2018.”